North Korea again demanded Friday that South Korea clamp down on civic activists' anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns across the border in order to improve inter-Korean ties.

In a commentary carried by the North's mainstream Rodong Sinmun daily, the communist country renewed its call on the South to deter its civic groups from sending balloons to the North carrying leaflets that criticize the North Korean regime.

"What stance (South Korea takes) on the anti-North Korean leaflet campaign will tell whether South Korea hopes for the improvement of the inter-Korean relations or not," the mouthpiece newspaper said.

Bashing the South for its "incompetence in controlling such a trivial activity," the North warned that the South should take full responsibility if the inter-Korean relations go sour due to the campaigns.

Despite Pyongyang's repeated calls, the Seoul government has maintained it cannot stop the cross-border campaigns, citing the groups' freedom of speech.

Earlier this week, several foreign activists from the U.S.-based Human Rights Foundation joined a local civic group for the leaflet launch at the border village of Paju, north of Seoul. They also have vowed to scatter DVDs of the U.S. movie "The Interview," which depicts a plot to assassinate the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

In a separate article, the communist country urged the South to stop its joint military exercises with the United States.

"Regime confrontation and exercises for the northward invasion which have taken place in South Korea should be stopped," the newspaper said. "The future path of the inter-Korean relations totally depends on how South Korea responds to our patriotic appeal."

North Korea has long denounced joint military drills between the allies as preparations for a northward invasion, a claim dismissed by Seoul and Washington that say the drills have taken place on a regular basis and are defensive in nature.

Despite Pyongyang's repeated calls for a suspension, South Korea is scheduled to carry out its joint military drills with the U.S. in March as scheduled. (Yonhap)